The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Panicum plant, botanically known as Panicum virgatum and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘RR1’.
The new Panicum is a variety of switchgrass and was the result of a controlled cross between the female, or seed, parent Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’ (unpatented) and the male, or pollen, parent Panicum virgatum ‘Haense Herms’ (unpatented). The new cultivar was discovered and selected by the Inventor as the best individual among 300 seedlings in Storrs, Conn. in 2002. The selection of this plant was based on its color and vigorous growth habit.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by divisions taken over time since August, 2003 in Storrs, Conn., has shown that the unique features of this new Panicum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.